Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : The current interpretation of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) involves the deposition of the so-called “peripheral or marginal” evaporites in onshore basins, as well as the erosion of the margins and the formation of thick evaporites in the deep parts of the basins. The present study focuses on intermediate depth basins, i.e. located between the onshore outcrops and the deep basins. Indeed, the Balearic Promontory shows small stepped basins filled with MSC deposits between its western extremity on the Alicante shelf and its eastern end around the Menorca block. New and already available seismic reflection profiles and onshore data allow us to investigate the nature and geometrical relationships of these deposits in the area between the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca.Our observations suggest the existence of three MSC-related units in this area. The lowermost transparent seismic unit can be interpreted as a 100 to 200-m-thick salt layer deposited in the deepest part of the Central Mallorca Depression. These evaporites pass laterally and upward into a thin-bedded seismic unit, which could be lithologically equivalent to the Upper Evaporites of the deep basins. All around the borders of the Central Mallorca Depression, this bedded seismic unit onlaps a Slope Unit which shows bedded to chaotic and rafted facies. The Messinian continental shelf is eroded and incised by a valley extending from the Palma onshore area to the Mallorca downslope domain.Our results suggest the presence offshore of at least two generations of diachronous MSC deposits. The observation of salt on a continental high and the widespread MSC deposits on the margins of the Central Mallorca Depression call into question the location of halite preferentially in the deep abyssal basins and the significance of the deep basin MSC units that onlap onto the Margin Erosional Surface (MES), as observed all around the passive margins of the Northwest-Mediterranean Basin. The dual terminology used for peripheral/deep MSC evaporites cannot be applied to any of the MSC units found in the study area.
ISSN: 0025-3227

hal-01115656
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01115656
DOI : 10.1016/j.margeo.2014.10.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Coastal aquifers often display seawater intrusion resulting in the formation of a salty water wedge progressing inland. This study investigates the mass transfers in the mixing zone at the freshwater-seawater interface where the water is out of equilibrium with the rock-forming carbonates. Investigations were conducted in two boreholes, separated by 5 m, at the Ses Sitjoles test site (Mallorca Island, Spain) where repeated electrical conductivity logs of the formation and the saturating fluid, as well as regular pore-water sampling and permanent downhole multi-parameter monitoring of the water were performed over a period of 9 a. In the mixing zone, the significant acidification, the calcite saturation index profile and the Ca concentration profile cannot be explained by conservative mixing nor by dissolution-precipitation reactions only. Conversely, the analysis of organic C content and of the distinctly different time-resolved pH profiles measured in the two boreholes suggests the development of perennial biomass that triggers calcite dissolution. Moreover, the presence of biomass seems to be correlated with the permeability and vertical connectivity at the meter-scale. It is speculated that the mechanism could be self-activated because the microbiological activity induces calcite dissolution and tends to increase porosity and permeability that favors biomass development.
ISSN: 0883-2927

hal-00937665
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00937665
DOI : 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013.09.011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Résumé : In reservoir engineering, hydrodynamic properties can be estimated from downhole electrical data using heuristic models (e.g., Archie and Kozeny-Carman's equations) relating electrical conductivity to porosity and permeability. Although proven to be predictive for many sandstone reservoirs, the models mostly fail when applied to carbonate reservoirs that generally display extremely complex pore network structures. In this article, we investigate the control of the three-dimensional (3-D) geometry and morphology of the pore network on the electrical and flow properties, comparing core-scale laboratory measurements and 3-D x-ray microtomography image analysis of samples from a Miocene reefal carbonate platform located in Mallorca (Spain). The results show that micrometer- to centimeter-scale heterogeneities strongly influence the measured macroscopic physical parameters that are then used to evaluate the hydrodynamic properties of the rock, and therefore, existing models might not provide accurate descriptions because these heterogeneities occur at scales smaller than those of the integration volume of the borehole geophysical methods. However, associated with specific data processing, 3-D imagery techniques are a useful and probably unique mean to characterize the rock heterogeneity and, thus, the properties variability.
ISSN: 0149-1423

hal-00950066
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00950066
DOI : 10.1306/05221312134

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : 1 p.
For groundwater issues (potential leakages in waste repository, aquifer management ...), the development of modeling techniques is far ahead of the actual knowledge of aquifers. This raises two fundamental issues: 1) which and how much data are necessary to make predictions accurate enough for aquifer management issues; 2) which models remain relevant to describe the heterogeneity and complexity of geological systems. The French observatory H+ was created in 2002 with the twofold motivation of acquiring a large database for validating models of heterogeneous aquifers, and of surveying groundwater quality evolution in the context of environmental changes. H+ is a network of 4 sites (Ploemeur, Brittany, France; HES Poitiers, France; Cadarache, France; Campos, Mallorca, Spain) with different geological, climatic, and economic contexts. All of them are characterized by a highly heterogeneous structure (fractured crystalline basement for Ploemeur, karstified and fractured limestone for Poitiers, Cadarache and Mallorca), which is far to be taken into account by basic models. Ploemeur is exploited as a tap-water plant for a medium-size coastal city (15,000 inhabitants) for 20 years. Each site is developed for long term investigation and monitoring. They involves a dense network of boreholes, detailed geological and geophysical surveys, periodic campaigns and/or permanent measurements of groundwater flow, water chemistry, geophysical signals (including ground motions), climatic parameter, etc. Several large-scale flow experiments are scheduled per year to investigate the aquifer structure with combined geophysical, hydrogeological, and geochemical instruments. All this information is recorded in a database that has been developed to improve the sustainability and quality of data, and to be used as a collaborative tool for both site researchers and modelers. This project lasts now for 5 years. It is a short time to collect the amount of information necessary to apprehend the complexity of aquifers; but it is already enough to obtain a few important scientific results about the very nature of the flow heterogeneity, the origin and residence time of water elements, the kinetic of geochemical processes, etc. We have also developed new methods to investigate aquifers (in-situ flow measurements, flow experiment designs, groundwater dating, versatile in-situ probes, etc.). This experience aiming at building up long term knowledge appears extremely useful to address critical issues related to groundwater aquifers: the structure and occurrence of productive aquifer in crystalline basement, the assessment of aquifer protection area in the context of highly heterogeneous flow, the biochemical reactivity processes, the long term evolution of both water quantity and quality in the context of significant environmental changes, for instance.
AGU, Fall Meeting 2008
San Francisco, United States

insu-00375980
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00375980

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The current interpretation of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) involves the deposition of peripheral or marginal evaporites in onshore basins as well as the erosion of the margin and the deposition of thick evaporites in deep basins. The so-called intermediate basins are formed in domains between the onland outcrops and the deep basins. The Balearic Promontory is a bathymetric high located between the deep Algerian and Liguro-Provençal basins and the onland Spanish basin. The SIMBAD project aims to investigate the spatial variability of the MSC-related deposits and to assess the extent of post-MSC reactivation over the Balearic Promontory. We present here the first results of the SIMBAD high-resolution seismic survey (January 2013) which imaged for the first time a thin MSC-related unit widely distributed in small sub-basins over the Balearic Promontory.Borehole analyses have shown that this unit could be correlated with primary gypsum formations linked to the peripheral evaporites. Locally, in the Central Depression between Mallorca and Ibiza islands, a thicker MSC unit is observed whose lowermost transparent part could correspond to a salt layer. Geometrical relationships suggest that the MSC in the Central Depression could postdate the primary gypsum. The occurrence of a halite layer in the Central Depression, at depths of 1000 to 1500 m, favours the hypothesis that the evaporites precipitated passively in closed or partially closed perched sub-basins, possibly as a result of evaporative drawdown at different depths and possibly diachronously, at least with respect to the deep-basin evaporites.
ISSN: 0264-8172

hal-01364255
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01364255
DOI : 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2014.09.008

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : A detailed and integrated geologic–hydraulic–geophysical–geochemical study of groundwater flow in the near-vicinity of a borehole drilled into fractured and karstified limestone demonstrates the power of such an integrated approach in localising and characterising preferential groundwater flow pathways and ambient borehole flow. The study, conducted in the vicinity of a 100-m-deep research borehole on the island of Mallorca, achieves such characterisation on a scale from millimetres to tens of metres in scale. More specifically, it adds single packer and open-hole pumping test interpretations to the results obtained during fluid logging, impeller flowmeter testing, borehole imaging, core descriptions and an innovative fracture analysis. This approach allows the delineation of the main flowing features and showed that such features are directly or indirectly linked to karst phenomena. Understanding this complex flow system is critical for an appropriate assessment of groundwater resources and the design of sustainable groundwater production schemes.
ISSN: 1431-2174

hal-00404921
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00404921
DOI : 10.1007/s10040-006-0086-4

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The heterogeneous nature and sometimes karstified carbonate environments has a direct impact on many environmental issues, such as coastal aquifers affected by saltwater intrusion. At the south of the island of Mallorca (Spain), the Llucmajor carbonate platform offers a privileged site for the study of such intrusions including the experimental site of Campos who meets the intrusion at shallow depth. The characterization of heterogeneous properties passes through a preliminary description of the properties of carbonate reservoirs, including those of the porosity. According to the wide range of sizes of heterogeneities from micrometer to hundreds of meters, the use of multiscale methods is required. This thesis focused on the determination of multiscale porosities from the microporosity to karstic porosity, and of relationships between observation scale changes of these properties. At the micron scale, high-resolution X-ray microtomography allows to extract the microporosity and the microporous network connectivity. At lower resolution (mm), X-ray tomography is also used to study the micro- and macro-porous network at the core scale which is already allocated to number of observations and measurements, including petrophysical. At the borehole scale, the wall images are used to identify the dissolved zones from centimeter macropores to plurimetric karstic cavities. At the larger scale, surface geophysics study the lateral extension of the karsts and heterogeneities. Finally, the porous structure of the studied site is integrated with its wide range of scales into the regional geology of the Llucmajor platform. Thus, the hydrogeophysical observatory set up on the site of Campos to monitor the spreading of salt water in the aquifer is integrated in its geological and petrophysical context, in order to refine the interpretation of its variations of salinity measurements during the time.
La nature hétérogène et parfois karstifiée des milieux carbonatés a un impact direct sur nombre de problématiques environnementales, comme celle des aquifères côtiers affectés par une intrusion d'eau salée. Au sud de l'ile de Majorque (Baléares, Espagne), la plate-forme carbonatée de Llucmajor offre un site privilégié pour l'étude de telles intrusions notamment avec le site expérimental de Campos, qui rencontre l'intrusion à faible profondeur. La caractérisation des propriétés hétérogènes du réservoir passe par une description préalable des propriétés des réservoirs carbonatés et notamment celle de la porosité. Au regard de la large gamme d'échelles d'hétérogénéités allant du micromètre à la centaine de mètre, l'utilisation de méthodes multi-échelles est nécessaire. Ce travail de thèse a porté sur la caractérisation multi-échelle de la porosité, allant de la microporosité à la porosité karstique, et l'établissement de relations entre les changements d'échelles d'observation de ces propriétés. A très petite échelle, la microtomographie haute-résolution à rayons X extrait à l'échelle du micron la microporosité et la connectivité des réseaux microporeux. A plus basse fréquence (celle du mm), la tomographie est également utilisée afin d'étudier le réseau micro- et macroporeux à l'échelle des carottes, à laquelle sont réalisées nombre d'observations et de mesures, notamment pétrophysiques. A l'échelle du puits, les images de paroi permettent d'identifier les zones de dissolution allant des macropores centimétriques aux cavités karstiques plurimétriques. A plus grande échelle, la géophysique de surface permet d'étudier l'extension latérale de ces karsts et hétérogénéités. Enfin, la structure poreuse du site étudié sur cette vaste gamme d'échelles est intégrée à la géologie régionale de la plate-forme de Llucmajor. Ainsi, l'observatoire installé sur le site pour surveiller la propagation de l'eau salée dans l'aquifère a pu être replacé dans son contexte géologique et pétrophysique, afin d'affiner l'interprétation de ses mesures de variations de salinité au cours du temps.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00633488

tel-00633488
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00633488
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00633488/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00633488/file/TheseHebert.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Several studies, both theoretical and experimental, show that sedimentary rocks have fractal pore-grain interface. The real rocks are 3-d structures with highly tortuous and often fractal pore spaces. Before attempting simulation of this daunting geometry, we present here, as a preliminary study, a simpler 2-d version. In this paper, a computer simulated 2-d sedimentary rock structure is generated by the relaxed bidisperse ballistic deposition model. Grains of two different sizes are dropped ballistically on a linear substrate. By changing the fraction of the two types of particles, the porosity of the rock structure can be tuned. The structure undergoes compaction through the relaxation of possible unstable overhangs. The micro structure of the pore space is investigated. The pore mass and the rock-pore interface show a fractal behaviour with the same fractal dimension indicating that the pore volume is a fractal. Our simulation results indicate that the process of compaction of grains during the deposition process seems to erase the dependency of the fractal dimension on the grain size distribution. The two point density correlation is measured for the pore space. It shows anisotropy which is an outcome of the growth rule. X-ray tomography of two-dimensional sections of real sedimentary rocks obtained from Mallorca Island is subjected to the same study and the results compared with those obtained from simulation. The simulation results agree qualitatively with the real rock sample. We also study diffusion on the pore space. Diffusion is found to be anomalous as is expected in fractal spaces. It also bears the signature of anisotropy of the structure. Diffusion studies on the real rock sample could not yield conclusive results as the system size is not large enough.
ISSN: 0926-9851

hal-00761818
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00761818
DOI : 10.1016/j.jappgeo.2012.09.002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : In coastal carbonate aquifers submitted to a saline intrusion, water - rock interactions processes at the interface between freshwater and saltwater are a cause for heterogeneities development within the porous media. The dissolutions and precipitations induced by the mixing zone play a major role in the transport properties of the reservoir and so in the long term evolution of the saltwater intrusion. The characterization and the in situ observation of a current saline intrusion in the Llucmajor carbonate platform at the experimental site of Ses Sitjoles (South-Easth of Mallorca Island, Spain), allowed to study the temporal evolution of the saltwater intrusion and the biogeochemical processes active in the mixing zone. The influence of microstructure, characterized using X-Ray microtomography, on the petrophysical and flow properties was investigated in laboratory and flow-through experiments were also conducted to study the modifications of the microstructures when submitted to water - rock interactions processes. The mixing zone at the Ses Sitjoles site appears as quite thick and not very sensitive to climate and anthropic stress and is proved to be the locus of active microbiological activity. Laboratory studies highlight a strong control of the microporosity on transport processes and of pCO2 on water - rock interactions. The percolation experiments of slightly reactive waters reveal calcite dissolution together with a decrease in permeability due to a rearrangement of micro-grains within the microporous network.
Les processus d'interactions fluide-roche à l'interface eau douce-eau salée, dans les aquifères carbonatés côtiers soumis à une intrusion saline, sont une des causes du développement d'hétérogénéités dans la structure du milieu poreux. Les dissolutions et/ou précipitations engendrées par la présence de cette zone de mélange jouent un rôle déterminant pour les propriétés de transport du réservoir et donc l'évolution à long terme de l'intrusion d'eau salée. En prenant l'exemple de la plateforme carbonatée de Llucmajor au niveau du site expérimental de Ses Sitjoles (Sud-Est de Majorque, Espagne), un travail de caractérisation et d'observation in situ à moyen terme de l'intrusion saline actuelle de ce réservoir permet de décrire son évolution temporelle et les processus biogéochimiques actifs dans la zone de mélange. L'influence de la microstructure du milieu poreux, caractérisée par microtomographie RX, sur les propriétés pétrophysiques et hydrodynamiques est étudiée en laboratoire et des expériences de percolations d'eaux réactives (mélanges eau douce - eau salée et eau pure chargée en CO2) sont réalisées afin d'étudier les modifications de ces microstructures lorsqu'elles sont soumises à des interactions eau - roche. La zone de mélange eau douce - eau salée rencontrée au niveau du site de Ses Sitjoles est large et peu sensible aux contraintes extérieures (climatologiques et anthropiques) et constitue un lieu d'activité microbiologique particulièrement actif. En laboratoire, on observe un fort contrôle des phénomènes de transport par la microporosité et des processus d'interactions eau - roche par la pCO2. Dans le cas d'une percolation de fluides moyennement réactifs, les expériences mettent en évidence une dissolution de calcite accompagnée par une diminution de la perméabilité, liée à un réarrangement des micro-grains à l'intérieur du réseau microporeux.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00767152

tel-00767152
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00767152
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00767152/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00767152/file/thesegaring.pdf